Kapurthala, October 8 : – Even as efforts were being made by music connoisseurs, Punjab government has failed to plan and organise the prestigious Baba Jassa Singh Kapurthala Heritage Festival held in the month of October or November in the erstwhile city of Kapurthala. The three-day traditional music festival, which was started in the year 2003 by the then Capt Amarinder Singh government, was stopped in the year 2011. Held against the backdrop of spectacular french architecture’s iconic piece Maharaja Jagatjit Palace, which now houses Sainik School, Kapurthala, the festival had been garnering international recognition.It was expected that with the congress coming to power, the festival would be restarted to connect people with the rich heritage and legacy of music and Kapurthala’s royal past. Kapurthala Heritage festival, as it is popularly called gained international recognition with renowned music maestros like Begum Farida Khannum, Shaukat Hussain Khan, Ghulam Ali, Shubha Mudgal, Manjari Chaturvedi, Amjad Ali Khan, Hans Raj Hans to name few performing at the event.Adarsh Parti, a retired lecturer of Music from Hindu Kanya College Kapurthala said the festival was organized by Punjab government in collaboration with INTACH (The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage). “It has been over six years, since the festival was stopped. The music lovers and those working to restore the lost glory of Kapurthala have held meetings to ensure that the festival was restarted”, she said.Parti also said that they were hopeful that the Punjab government would conduct the festival this year. “It is a mark of respect in the name of Kapurthala’s glorious heritage, where the who’s who of music world has performed”, she added. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Tayab said that they have sent a case in this regard to the Punjab Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department and a final nod was awaited. “We have sent an estimate of the funds required to conduct the Kapurthala Heritage festival. As and when we get a nod, the festival would be organized”, he said.It was also learnt that a meeting in this regard was to be held on September 27 with the Punjab Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department in Chandigarh but it was deferred. Kapurthala Heritage Festival used to commence with the rendition of hymns in the honour of the legendary warrior and founder of the Ahluwalia misl (clan), Baba Jassa Singh. The three-day fest included events, seminars and symposiums in the memory of great warriors of the Kapurthala heritage.